Fire and Rain
by Yonahdoxie57
Summary: 12x12 tag ending: There's residual poison from the spear inside Cas. While driving their sick angel home they swerve off the road to miss hitting a girl only to crash the Impala down hill and into a tree. Sam must get help while Hurt!Cas and Hurt!Dean try to protect eachother from weather, dehydration and ghosts. Destiel if you squint, mostly. No smut just fluff. Whump all around!


_12x12 Stuck in the Middle (with you) was something straight out of a fan fic, don't you think?! I was practically screaming at the screen. Anyways, I wanted to milk all that sweet sweet angst, love, family bonding and of course Cas pain. Cause that's just my guilty pleasure! Hope you enjoy it too!_

A thick black tar like substance was leaking out of Castiel's mouth slowly like lava. This was it, his final moments. Then Dean heard a snap behind him and Cas glowed so brightly they had to cover their eyes. Sam and Dean thought it was Cas' grace leaving his vessel, like when an angel is stabbed with an angel blade. But no, Crowley had snapped the Lance of Michael into two pieces. They looked back to Cas and he was coughing up the thick blackness onto the seat cushion by his side. He was alive!

"Cas?" Dean helped his friend and braced his shoulder.

"Crowley, what did you do?" Sam stood up to ask.

"I just remembered something is all. He might be okay now but that poison still has to work it's way out. It will take some time." Sam just stood in awe of the self proclaimed King of Hell and was trying to decide if he should hug him or not. Sam decided not.

"Crowley...I don't know what to say. Thank you! Um… we owe you one, dude!"

"Oh, Samantha, don't go all soft on me now." He handed Sam the two pieces of the lance. "Try to decipher the Enochian. Maybe it can help Cas."

Not two seconds after he placed it in Sam's hand he vanished like he was never there in the first place.

"Okay, bud. You're gonna be okay. Let's go home. C'mon." Dean encouraged Cas to get up while he gingerly lifted Cas' arm over his head and Sam quickly found his place on his other side to help. They took only a few steps toward the broken barn door when Cas tried to speak."

"Sam." He breathed. "Dean. I can't…" and Cas blacked out and the brother's felt the dead weight of the angel on their shoulders.

"Shit. Cas?" Dean panicked.

"Cas!" Sam yelled.

"Let's just get him to the car and lay him down." Mary ordered and the boys listened.

Dean got into the backseat of the Impala and slid across the slick seat till he was sitting behind the driver's seat. Sam let Castiel down carefully and Dean laid him across the seat resting his head on his own thigh.

Sam spoke to Mary for a moment outside the cars then they hugged and each got into their car's driver's seats.

"She gonna follow us back?" Dean asked.

"No, she said she had a loose end to tie up here."

"Fantastic." Dean sarcastically replied. He looked down at Cas' face. His mouth was slightly open and the black cracks were still coming across his brow and cheek. He decided to take Cas' tie off completely then he removed his own jacket and covered Cas' upper body with it. Cas said that he couldn't heal himself because of the poison, Dean assumed that meant that Cas couldn't make up for all the blood he just lost from that deep belly wound. Dean lifted his jacket and looked down Cas' shirt to check the wound. It was completely gone. Only a hole in his shirt and a crap ton of blood everywhere. That's one thing they won't have to worry about.

"How's he doing?" Sam interjected into Dean's thoughts as he turned onto the next road.

"Alive. I think he must of passed out from blood loss when we stood him up."

Sam agreed. "If that's the case we should get him some stuff to get his blood sugar up and plenty of water too. I'll stop at the next gas station, fuel up and we'll head back to the bunker."

Sam made his stop a few minutes later. He went and bought some bottled water as well as some mms and a few snacks for himself and Dean. He gave his brother the small plastic grocery bag and went about filling up the tank and cleaning the windshield.

"Cas." Dean whispered shaking his shoulders.

Cas moaned quietly but didn't open his eyes. Dean placed a blue mm into his parted lips and that seemed to wake Cas up a little more.

"Here, water." Dean coaxed and Cas allowed him to pour the water in his mouth. The whole bottle was empty by the time Sam got back into the car. Dean spent the rest of the trip slowly feeding mms to his best friend and thinking about how lucky they all are that Cas is alive.

Sam was driving them on an almost dirt road in the middle of nowhere. They hadn't seen another car in an hour. Cas was in and out of it. He'd wake up confused for a split second but then calmed by Dean placing another mm in his mouth. Cas had a question he wanted to ask Dean and Sam but he knew they wouldn't react to it well. He decided against his better judgement and asked anyway.

"What would you have done…" Cas turned his face so he could look up at Dean who was shocked he had enough strength to speak in full sentences.

"Hey, hey calm down. Questions later when the poison is gone and you're better. Or at least wait for home, okay?" Dean spoke softly.

"What would you have done if I had died? Would I receive a hunter's funeral?"

Sam turned his head slightly. "Don't think so morbidly, dude."

"Please. Tell me." He begged quietly.

Dean couldn't look away from his eyes. He absolutely hated thinking about it. It was too real, they had almost lost Cas for good.

"I don't know." Dean finally confessed. "I mean, I guess so."

"Would you like that?" Sam asked honestly.

"Yes, I think I would." Cas was calm.

"Well, that's just great! Anything else you want to add to your living will while we're at it!" Dean glared at Sam for allowing this kind of conversation to go on.

"What? It's a good question!" Sam tried to defend himself and Cas. "Don't you want to know my wishes?"

"NO!" Dean yelled. "No, not at all. You wanna know why? Because neither of you are dying. Got that? And IF we're all gonna die then I get to die first. Okay? Okay. Those are my wishes."

"Dean." Cas squinted his eyes and tried to learn the expression on Dean's face.

"Drop the topic. Turn on some tunes Sammy."

Sam reached down to turn the radio on but when he looked up there was a woman standing in the middle of the road that had only just a second ago been illuminated by the Impala's headlights. Sam swerved the car sharply and the car went off the road onto the dirt ground and across bumpy grass into the woods. Through bushes and over an old fallen tree the car went. Sam had lost control of the car altogether with the ground being so slick and the fact that he was going near seventy miles per hour when he turned to miss the woman. The car fell off a ledge that was about 4 feet tall and the Impala landed on it's passenger side. Its slide was finally brought to a stop by a large oak tree crashing into the hood. Windows were shattered, along with the back windshield. The front windshield however, managed to stay in one piece but with a huge crack.

Sam had his seatbelt on so he hung by the waist, arms and upper body limp and hanging down towards the passenger seat but still basically sitting in front of the wheel. Dean was not wearing his seat belt, good thing for him it wasn't a front collision with the tree or he'd be dead for sure. Dean's head had shattered the back window and now his unconscious body was scrunched against the backseat floor and ground against the base of the tree.

Cas woke up first. He felt Dean's arm around him and tried to make sense of what had happened. Cas struggled but he wiggled out and pulled Dean out of the open back windshield with him. Cas managed to get both of them just three feet away from the car when he heard Sam regain consciousness from his quick breaths and struggling. Then Sam called out.

"Dean?!? Cas!"

"We're out here. Can you get out Sam?"

"Um. Yeah, um hang on. I can do this." Sam repositioned his feet, gripped the edge of the door where the window used to be, unclipped his seatbelt and managed to pull himself out of the hole and jumped down to the ground.

"Cas, is Dean okay?"

"I don't know, his head is bleeding. What….what happened Sam?"

"There was a girl in the road. We were going so fast and I swerved to miss her. I don't know where she came from. I mean. There aren't even any farms out here. There's just nothing." Sam pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. It was smashed and there was no way they would have had any signal. Sam reached into his brother's pockets and fished out his phone. The screen was cracked but it still worked. "No signal. Of course not." Cas' breathing was labored and Sam helped him lay down giving him his jacket as a sort of pillow. He laid Dean on his back next to him.

"What am I going to do with you two. Always getting hurt." Sam grinned a little.

"You're hurt too Sam." Cas referred to the blood and scrapes on Sam's hands and face.

"Oh, I hadn't even noticed. Adrenaline I guess. It's nothing. I'm fine. You're having a bad day though, stabbed, poisoned, near death experience then a car accident." But Cas continued to look at him worried. Sam went on. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. I need to go get help, or at least a car. Maybe mom. But I need to get back to the road and walk towards the nearest town. Which the last sign of civilization I saw was... more than thirty miles back."

"Sam, no." Cas begged.

"It's okay, I'm sure a car will pass me before then. I'm sure I'll get lucky!" He tried to reassure.

"There's no such thing as luck and if there was I'm sure we've run out a long time ago."

"You do have a point. Anyways we're looking at a few days in the woods. I'll stick around and get you and Dean settled and then I'll go and find help. I don't know how long it will be before I get back to you."

"I don't like this plan."

"I know, I'm sorry but it's our only choice. I'm going to get what I can from the car, okay?"

"Be careful." Cas was obviously talking through his pain. Not only was his body trying to fight off the poison but he was just in a car accident that ended in a tree. Sam worked around the Impala being on it's side. The hood was bashed in and all the windows were in tiny little shards except the windshield so the car itself wouldn't make a very good shelter. Sam managed to get the trunk open and pull out matches, gasoline, both men's bags of clothes and a few guns and bullets as well as the demon blade. He also brought out the iron chains they kept around to use as rope. He looked over his shoulder at Dean before he removed the hood of the car completely that was only hanging on by one hinge at this point. Sam angled the hood against the belly of the car making a kind of lean-to shelter. It didn't make enough space so Sam then decided to rip out the rod that would normally keep the hood up and dug it into the ground like a stake and balanced the hood on it. He took out clothes from their bags and he made a covered area half under the hood-roof and half out for both Cas and Dean to rest. Sam assumed the gas tank was still intact since he couldn't smell that distinct odor. He came over to Cas and gently lifted the angel to his feet and brought him over to the shelter. Then he went back to his brother and slid him over too, placing him along side his angel. Sam fixed a handful of clothes to act as a pillow for each injured man.

"Okay, now I'm going to look around the area and see what I can find."

"Be careful. Don't get lost." Cas whispered with closed eyes as he felt as if he would pass out again.

"I have my flashlight. We're the only things out here. I'll make a fire and bring plenty of wood."

It had been about fifteen minutes when Cas had realized that Sam had been gone long enough. A moment before Cas was working himself up to calling out for Sam he heard a loud rifle shot ring through the silent forest. Cas froze.

"SAM?!?" He called out of desperation.

"It's okay!" Sam yelled back but Castiel couldn't quite make it out. It sounded positive so his stress diminished.

Sam came back about ten minutes more later with a dead male turkey hung over his shoulder held by it's feet and an armful of dead wood pieces.

Cas looked on confused.

"I guess it's turkey country out here!" Sam was so pleased with himself.

"What a blessing." Cas breathed.

"I know, right? So get this, I couldn't find any water and you both need water before I leave. I'll cook up the turkey and I'll try to find water first thing in the morning then I'll go find a cell phone signal and get help. It looks like Dean has a concussion. It's not his first and it won't be the last and he's never let me take him to a hospital for one anyway. I can't take you to a doctor either. You both just need rest. Oh hey, Crowley said the Enochian on the lance might help you get better. Do you think you could read it?" But when Sam mentioned a possible concussion for Dean, Cas began to reach his right hand up to touch the head of his friend who laid to his left against the car's underbody. He focused his energy to try to feel with his grace exactly what was wrong with Dean.

"I'm afraid it's not just a concussion. It's a contusion."

"Woah, like a brain bleed?"

"Yes, if I don't heal him soon the blood that's pooling could form a clot."

"I'll get the lance. Maybe that will help get the poison out so you can get your healing powers back."

Cas didn't reply. He watched Dean's chest rise and fall. He could die from this. Cas thought of how useless he was without being able to heal his dying friend. He was right there with him when it happened and the guilt was tearing Castiel up inside.

Sam brought the broken pieces and handed them to the broken angel. Cas' face contorted while he read to himself and spoke soft words that Sam didn't understand.

"Of course." Cas breathed.

"What? What it is?"

"Sam. I need you to do something for me. It will save your brother."

"Yeah, sure, anything. What is it?"

"It's in the riddle here. I need to drink the blood of my own deadly wound. I think."

"But you're healed up."

"I know, which is why I need you to stab me again." Cas made the request simple to understand. He finished the sentence like any other and without hesitation looking into Sam's worried eyes.

"If you need blood just cut your palm a little."

"No, it's very specific. It needs to come from a fatal wound."

Just then there was a faint whisper from Dean. "Cas? Sammy?"

"Dean!" Both Cas and Sam redirected their focus. Then Dean started to gag and rolled to his side to throw up onto the ground. Sam moved over to support his brother's shoulder. When Dean was done a few moments later Sam buried the crud slightly. Dean laid back and breathed heavily trying to catch his breath. Sam went and brought back one of the water bottles he bought at the gas station.

"Okay, okay. You're okay." Sam purred while he helped Dean drink.

"What happened?" Dean whispered after his last gulp. "Are you guys okay?" He looked over to Cas, who was laying next to him, and furrowed his brow.

Sam filled him in. "Dean, I'm so sorry but there was this girl in the road and…I lost control of the car."

"Baby?"

"Dean. I'm sorry." It was then that Dean looked up and was able to make out by the flashlight where he was. Under the hood of the Impala against it's underbody. He ran his hand along a the exhaust pipe.

"What did he do to you, girl?" He whispered.

Sam continued cautiously. "Then after I swerved, we went into the woods, kinda fell off a small cliff thing and crashed into this big tree on the side." Each word was like a dagger to Dean. There was a long pause before anyone said anything.

"And the girl?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, but I definitely didn't hit her."

"Good." Dean was still noticeably upset. "This is coming out of your allowance, young man." Dean winced and brought a hand to his face. "Jesus, my head is killing me."

"You have a concussion, and-" Cas started but Dean cut him off.

"So heal me up already."

"I...I can't…" Cas said. Dean turned his head confused.

"He's still poisoned." Sam added.

"Poisoned? From what? When? Are you okay?" Dean moved his hand and grabbed Cas' arm gently.

"You don't remember?" Sam pleaded.

Dean started to throw up again and Sam leaned in for support just like last time. It was over quick.

"It's the concussion. Confusion, lost memory, nausea, extreme head ache. Sam we have to do it. If the bleed were to cause a clot..."

Sam was busy helping Dean gently lay back down. "No, I won't do it."

"Do what?" Dean mumbled before his eyes closed and his arms went limp.

"Dean?" Sam shook his shoulder.

"Sam. Please. We can't wait any longer."

Cas' vision was blurry but he managed to reach out and go into Sam's arm and waited for the right answer.

"Okay, alright. But I want you to heal yourself first right after, then heal Dean."

"No, I might not have enough for us both."

"More reason to heal your 'fatal wound' first then you can heal Dean soon enough later." Sam argued. There was a pause.

"Fine." Cas agreed reluctantly.

"I guess a stomach wound is fatal enough, right? I don't want to stab you in the heart and you die before you can heal yourself."

"Right, good strategy."

"Cas, I'm sorry. This…this is hard for me to do." Sam took the blade tip into his hands and stared at it.

"It's okay, here." Cas brought the blade to his belly where he was already stabbed today and clutched his hands firmly over Sam's.

"Ready?" Sam was afraid. This whole scene was messed up and Sam hated it. Cas nodded and held in a breath through his nose. Sam hesitated then plunged the blade into his friend and closed his eyes. He could feel the warm blood on his hands already. He felt Cas' body convulse from the pain but didn't hear him yell. Cas removed his hands and caught some of the blood and brought it to his own lips. Sam had just begun to open his eyes again when he saw Cas touch Dean's head with two bloody fingers.

"Cas! No!" Sam yelled but it was too late. Cas healed Dean first, he lied when he agreed with Sam. Dean was healed in a manner of a seconds then Cas pulled away but not before he passed out with his hand landing upon Dean's shoulder still loosely holding his hand in healing position.

"Cas!" Sam yelled again and this time Dean heard him clearly.

"Sam?" Dean's voice was strong, like it normally was. "What did you do?!" Dean saw the blood on his brother's hands and the blade still stuck into Castiel's lower stomach.

"He told me he would be okay. We had to do it so we could save you. He said he would heal himself first. Oh, God, no." Sam's voice was panicked and he spoke too fast.

"Okay, I don't totally get it but okay. Just, get something to stop the bleeding." Sam got up on his feet to get clothes out of their bags to help. He also fished the first-aid kit out and brought it over.

Dean got up and sat in his knees next to his best friend. "Cas, can you hear me? Cas! Geez, Sam, did you have to cut him so deep?"

"Cas said to."

"Okay, I'll pull out the blade and you put pressure on it. Got it?" Dean ordered.

"Kay." Sam's voice shook.

The boys worked together seamlessly. Afterwards, Cas seemed to be as good as he was going to get to the middle of some woods in the middle of nowhere. Sam and Dean had tied a long sleeved shirt around his hips and pulled it tight to keep pressure on the wound and slow down the blood as much as possible. Cas' face was pale and glistened with sweat. His breathing was weak and unsteady. Sam caught Dean up on the events of the last hour or so and clarified anything Dean had forgotten from his head injury. The brothers determined that now that the poison was gone from Cas' system that he should be able to heal himself after his grace recharges from healing Dean. It was just a matter of time. The sun started to rise in the East and Dean demanded he be the one to stay with Cas while Sam goes to find help or at least a cell phone signal to call Mary. Cas was still unconscious when Sam left with the last full water bottle and two protein bars in his pocket. Dean got the turkey ready to be cooked over the fire and found a tiny fast flowing stream to fill the water bottles not too far from the Impala. Once the turkey was cooking slowly, Dean came to sit next to his angel. He glared at Castiel's face longing for his eyes to open. Then he reached to hold his hand and realized how cold Cas was from losing so much blood. Dean rummaged through their bags and found an overcoat and one of Sam's humongous flannel shirts. Dean gingerly covered Castiel down to his feet as best he could. Dean frowned. He held this grimace with closed eyes while he prayed out loud.

"Cas, Castiel, you got to get better bud. You shouldn't have done that y'know. I get concussions all the time. I'm used to getting bumped around. You didn't have to go and risk your life." Dean repositioned his feet and bowed his head deeper now. "It's not worth losing you. I can't lose you. We need you, Cas."

"And I need you, Dean." Cas moaned and flicked his eyes open to find a now relieved friend praying over him. Dean could have hugged him but decided that would probably hurt.

"Cas! Hey buddy!" He beamed smiles. "You doing okay? You healing yet?"

"Mmmm… yes, slowly. I believe so."

"What does that mean?"

"I think... most of the internal-" He winced through clenched teeth. "-bleeding has stopped."

"Okay, alright. That's good. Hey, just take it easy. It's my turn to watch over you, alright? You thirsty?"

"Yes, actually." Cas confessed and Dean took a water bottle filled with cool stream water, brought it to his lips and helped Cas tilt his head up. "That's nice." Cas breathed and tried to relax back down. "How are you feeling, Dean?"

"Me?" Dean scoffed. "Hell, I could jump over the freakin' moon right now. You know you could have saved some mojo for yourself." Cas replied by shaking his head slowly.

"You are too important, Dean."

"Well so are you, you dumbass." Cas frowned at Dean's reply and Dean noticed. "Anyway, it's not that I'm not happy about it. I'm thankful. Really, I am. But you're still an idiot."

"Fine." The corner of Cas' mouth allowed a small grin.

"Now that that's settled. How about some brunch? You want some flame cooked turkey?"

"That sounds delicious."

"Awesome."

Dean helped Cas eat small pieces of delicious cooked turkey and took bites for himself. The turkey was moist, tender and extremely flavorful. It was a wonderful respite to the conditions they were stuck in. In between a bite Cas informed Dean that is was going to rain soon. Dean took the cooked turkey pieces off the fire, found a dry place to keep it in the trunk and wrapped it in a plastic shopping bag.

Cas still laid on the ground under the safety of the Impala's severed hood.

"It's actually kinda nice we're under this big tree. We should stay pretty dry down here." Dean was glad of that but he could feel the cold air coming in through the strengthening breeze. Dean reinforced their shelter his brother had made for them. When it began raining Dean came and huddled under the hood of the car where Cas was lying. Dean tilted his head back and fell asleep to the rhythmic sounds of the rain in the forest. He wasn't asleep a full hour yet when he felt something nudge his knee. It was just Cas. The angel was curled up on his side, facing Dean with his knees being gently pulled toward his chest, and it took a moment of staring for Dean to notice that Cas was shaking like a tiny leaf.

"Crap." Dean muttered. He took off his coat and laid it over Cas' upper body. Cas shuttered in his sleep at the sudden touch but eased back into a calmer sleep. Dean shut his eyes but couldn't sleep again. He was too worried about Cas now. Only a few minutes later Cas was shivering again. Without thinking Dean carefully laid down and put one strong arm around Cas' small shaking frame. He woke.

"Dean?" Cas looked to his friend's face.

"Shut up." Dean muttered without opening his eyes. He held a stern grimace.

"But…" Cas needed an answer as to why Dean was holding him.

"You're cold." Dean paused. "Just don't tell Sam I did this, okay?"

"Thank you, Dean." Cas mumbled as he tilted his head closer to the lovely warmth.

The rain has stopped when Dean started to wake up again. He realized quickly that at some point his right arm had snaked under Cas' neck and he was holding his angel close to his chest. He stiffened up at first but then relaxed because he realized he was far too comfortable to be nervous about this. Besides, Cas was sick and Dean wasn't going to let him get any worse, not while he could share body warmth. Dean laid there happily, arms wrapped around his best friend, trying to look anywhere but his soft face. Cas shifted a little and let out a cute deep hum in his throat that resonated into Dean's chest. Cas' eyes opened halfway and he felt the arms wrapped around him that had made their way under the layers of covers. Cas was relieved to hear that Dean's heart rate was a slow steady pace, for being awake and in this position.

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"For what?"

"This must be an awkward situation for you."

"Dude, you're sick. It's fine. You got me anytime you need me to be the Han Solo to your Luke."

"Dean...I don't-"

"We'll watch it when we get home. It's Star Wars." Dean said without skipping a beat. "Why don't I start up a nice fire now that the rain has stopped? That'll warm you up." Dean started to pull away when Cas clutched Dean's t-shirt in a weak fist which Dean noticed immediately and furrowed his brow. Dean finally allowed himself to look at Cas' eyes. The blue was dull and underneath was dark circles surrounded by pale skin. He truly looked awful. Nothing like his normal angel self.

Cas pleaded. "Please, I'm sorry…but, please could you um…" Cas' gaze shifted downwards, he was certain Dean would respond negatively if he asked his next question but he just had to. Being with Dean like this was far too wonderful to let the moment pass. Cas wanted it to last as long as possible but how could he ask Dean to stay longer without sounding desperate?

He tried. "Do you think…" He hated the way that sounded already as wasn't sure how to continue. When Dean surprisingly finished the thought for him.

"You don't want me to leave?" Dean's words were gentle. Cas shook his head no unable to look straight at Dean. He felt ashamed for wanting it so badly. But Dean was uncharacteristically gentle. "That's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do you uh…" Dean was getting nervous now. "Do you like this?"

"Yes." Cas answered simply. He could feel Dean's heartbeat quicken.

"Me too." Dean admitted softly but he would never know how much that made Cas smile. "Hey, you healing at all?"

"It's hard to tell if I'm healing at the rate a human would after all the care you have provided or if my grace is working at a painfully slow pace." Castiel reported. It made Dean chuckle a little. When Dean breathed out his laugh he could see his breath. Cas shivered in his arms and they both knew the sudden coldness wasn't from the rain. There was a ghost nearby.

Dean lifted his head to see a girl wearing jean overalls that were too big for her small frame and a simple white shirt. Maybe this is what Sam saw when he veered off the road. Her long light brown hair was in braided pigtails but was brushed up against too many times and had not been fixed. She made no movements and allowed Dean to gaze at her that was when he saw the dark marks around her tiny thin neck. She must have been strangled to death by someone much larger than herself. She couldn't have been any older than ten at the time she was murdered. Dean moved to sit up slowly and motioned for Cas to stay still.

"Hey there, beautiful, what's your name?" Dean cooed sweetly trying not to sound nervous.

The girl watched his expression and finally answered cautiously. "Trisha."

Cas had sat up onto his elbows without making a sound but had averted Trisha's gaze nonetheless. She smiled at Castiel and he returned the gesture.

"Hello, little one. Why are you out here all alone?" Cas matched Dean's earlier tone.

"I like you. You're nice boys."

"Thanks!" Dean said proudly.

"Not like the other boys."

"Did they hurt you?" Cas asked without missing a beat. The girl looked down at her barefeet, frowned and put her hands in her pockets. Cas didn't wait for a solid answer. "I'm sorry that happened to you. But my friend and I we can help you."

Dean built off of that. "This is going to sound silly but do you know where your bones are? Are they here in the forest?"

Trisha pointed straight at the large tree the Impala had found its final resting place.

"Right here?" Dean pointed to the ground underneath them.

"I'm buried on the other side."

"That's good. Will you let me help you?" Dean smiled again.

She nodded happily. Dean got up and looked back to give a confident grin Castiel who couldn't sit up a minute longer. His muscles were rebelling against him and his head felt way too heavy to keep it in an upright position. He focused on staying conscious until this ordeal was complete. Dean fished out a shovel from the wreck and went to the other side of the large tree to begin digging. He let the tip of the spade rest in the moist dirt and he turned around to ask a question.

"Here?" He looked around for Trisha. "Trish?" He called out.

"What's wrong?" Cas asked weakly.

"She just disappeared on me." Dean shrugged but began to dig anyway. He wasn't barely a foot down when he felt the shovel slide against something solid. He gently swept the dirt off and found the remains of Trisha. Mostly bone with little tissue left. Dean got up to get the salt when he was thrown across the forest by Castiel. The angel of the Lord swaggered over to Dean and slammed his body against a tree with a flock of his wrist. Cas grinned devilishly.

"Cas?" Dean huffed out as he tried to push his body against the unseeable force holding him. Cas stepped over to the car and have it a tiny kick with his toes.

"Hey!!" Dean reprimanded. As if the car was in perfect condition right now. "Knock it off, Cas!"

"Not Cas." He barked. "Sonya."

It clicked for Dean. Cas was being possessed. It couldn't have been Trisha's ghost though unless her sweetness was just a trap.

"Get the fuck out of Cas! Right now!"

"No."

"Were you the one that ran is off the road?" Sonya nodded Cas' head.

"Why?"

"Wanted to."

"Why-" Dean winced from the pressure in his torso. "Why won't you let me put Trisha to rest?"

"Lonely."

"Listen, I get it but I can burn your bones too then all this can be over."

"No."

"Damn bitch. Why not?!"

"Fun."

"Son of a bitch."

Just then Trisha appeared and yelled out from the other side of the clearing. "Heeey! Leave the nice boys alone!" This caused Sonya to twist Cas' body around fast which sent them falling to the ground near the place where the fire had been lit before. Sonya flashed out of Castiel's broken weak body and chased after Trisha in her spirit form. The two ghosts disappeared into the woods and Dean was dropped a about three feet to the base of the tree. Dean managed to land in his feet, taking knee to catch his balance before he leapt to Castiel. He turned the poor angel over into his back gently calling to him to make certain he was okay. Cas coughed in reply and gripped onto Dean shirt as leverage to get up. The two men stood there gripping onto each other's clothes for support while they looked frantically around for any signs of the ghosts.

"I'll get salt." Dean muttered and let go of Cas to run to the battered trunk. Dean didn't realized how much his friend needed him to stand up and Cas quickly fell catching himself on one knee. Dean looked up from his task and realized his mistake and began to run back to Cas.

"No. Get the salt first." Cas heaved. Dean didn't argue. He found the salt quickly and ran back over to his buddy. He made a small circle of salt and knelt facing Cas inside the circle.

"Well, this is exciting!" Dean tried to make a joke while he caught his breath.

"Sure." Cas was having a hard time. Black blurs threatened his vision, his body ached all over, his breaths couldn't fill his lungs as much as he needed and Dean noticed how much worse this adventure had made his angel.

"So listen, if she's possessing people then this little salt ring is nothing."

"Did you find the bones?"

"Yeah."

"Then start the fire." Dean looked confused so Cas continued. He looked toward the ground since keeping his head up at this point wasn't an option. "Burn them. Trisha isn't buried under the tree. It's Sonya."

"Oh. That's why-"

"Just do it." Cas closed his eyes tight and finally passed out. Dean eased him to the ground within the circle and sprang up to finish the job. Dean had no problem lighting the bones with salt. Two seconds after the fire had started a small meek ghost appeared next to him.

"This was Sonya wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I lied. She wouldn't let me go. I can go now though. Thanks."

"No problem beautiful."

"The other nice boy is hurting."

"Yes, I know. I'll take good care of him."

"Okay." She trusted Dean and with that she dissipated into spots of colored light that floated up like bubbles. Dean watched until he heard his best friend.

"Dean?" Cas called out weakly and tried to look around.

"Cas!" Dean ran over to him and knelt there lifting him up into his lap so his throbbing head was off the ground. "Hey, it's okay."

"Are you hurt-t-t?" It was almost a whisper that was pushed out between shivers. Castiel, Angel of the Lord, watching out for his charges even as he's half conscious.

"No, no. I'm fine. Just fine. You were right about the bones and Trish was free to go to heaven. Now, it's you I need to worry about." Dean shifted so Cas could be more comfortable and he pulled Castiel's coat around him. "Sammy will be back with help soon. You just need to fight this. You got it?" Cas nodded his head and looked up at Dean helplessly. "Can I start that fire now?"

"I s-s-suppose."

Dean had a roaring fire going soon enough. Cas and Dean sat close to one another and soon enough the angel's breathing settled and he dozed off by resting his head on Dean's strong shoulder. He was afraid to move and wake up his angel so he remained there watching the embers fade. It was some time later when the sound of Sam and Mary calling out their names into the woods roused the angel and the hunter from their mutual rest. They didn't reply right away as if to hang onto the soft moment just a second longer when Sam yelled out with a hitch of a little extra desperation.

"Over here Sammy!" Dean yelled back in the direction of his brother.

The sun was just riding after what was one of the most trying days Castiel wasn't prepared for. He knew what day he would raise Dean from perdition. He knew when they would try to stop Michael and Lucifer. He knew when they planned to take down Dick. But this day was just going to be a well manned, well planned hunt but instead Castiel was beaten, stabbed, poisoned, nearly died, half healed, injured in a car crash, oh yeah, and possessed. While he was falling asleep on Dean's shoulder again in the backseat of Mary's blue car while the orange sky made way for blue with rose clouds Cas thought about how he would do this all over again now that he knew it would give him and Dean this much opportunity to be closer to each other. Cas never knew if anything tangible would be built from this day but it didn't cheapen his experiences either way. He wanted to say something to Dean. He wanted to verify that the day had even a slight bit of importance to Dean too. Dean eased him down the stairs of the bunker. He walked him gingerly down the hall into one of the bedrooms holding the angel's arm behind his neck. All the while without saying a word. Castiel tried to organize what he wanted to say to Dean but he was running out of time. Dean sat him on the edge of a bed and knelt down to take off his shoes. When he was finished he reached up to his shoulders to lay Cas down but Cas resisted and brought a hand to Dean's forearm.

"Dean...I…. today was..." Cas rolled off and swallowed hard. "What I mean is…"

"I know, Cas." Dean spoke calmly.

"But, how?" Cas asked innocently.

"Shut up, Cas." With that, Dean placed a chaste kiss on his angels forehead, laid him down and turned shutting off the light and closing the door gently.


End file.
